Game On Dude got run down when he didn't see Drosselmeyer to his far outside in last year's Classic.
Breeders’ Cup day two offers up a slate of super star power as the leading candidates for Horse of the Year look to stamp their ballot with Game On Dude the 9-to-5 favorite in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade I) over Santa Anita’s main track and Wise Dan the same price for his run in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) on turf.
Game On Dude looms large looking to rebound from a runner-up finish in last year’s Classic under the lights at Churchill Downs when he was run down by Drosselmeyer in the final strides. Competing over a track where he’s a perfect 5-for-5 and now guided by top pilot Rafael Bejarano should mean the 5-year-old gelded son of Awesome Again will give Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his first win in North America’s richest race.
His biggest challenge could come from 6-to-1 shot Ron the Greek, who looks to give trainer Bill Mott a sweep of the Classic’s double in consecutive years after Royal Delta was a repeat winner in the Ladies’ edition yesterday. The 5-year-old son of Full Mandate ran the best race of his career over this strip in March while rolling from far back to win the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) by 3 ½-lengths.
The versatile Wise Dan has rolled up five graded stakes wins in 2012 by clear margins with his only blemish coming when he finished a head behind Ron the Greek in the Stephen F. Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs in June.
If not for undefeated international phenoms Frankel and Black Caviar, who are not present today, 2-to-1 second choice Excelebration and 6-to-1 shot Moonlight Cloud would have many more wins to their credit.
Over his last ten starts, Excelebration has six wins and finished second to Frankel on four occasions and third once, while the filly Moonlight Cloud has win 5-of-8, losing once each to Excelebration and Black Caviar.
That trio will be bearing on another 6-to-1 shot, with Obviously rolling in his customary spot on the front end under Joe Talamo. Since stretching out to this mile distance three starts ago, the 4-year-old Irish-bred son of Choisir has never trailed while blistering through quick early fractions and producing course record results at Del Mar and Santa Anita.
We’re off to the races!
Early Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 4 (2,3,6,8,9,10) – No. 9 Noble Tune has won easy in a pair of starts and is the bestU.S. hope in the Juvenile Filly Turf, while No. 8 Balance the Books and No. 10 Joha have also done little wrong early in their careers.
We’ll use a trio Euros with No. 2 Artigiano, No. 3 George Vancouver and No. 6 Dundonnell
Leg 2 – Race 5 (3,9) – No. 9 Groupie Doll will be the shortest price of the day in the Filly and Mare Sprint with the only apparent challenge to her winning her fifth straight in clear fashion since adding the blinkers is No. 3 Dust and Diamonds winging on the lead.
Leg 3 – Race 6 (3,5,6,7) – No. 3 Jersey Town snapped a seven-race losing streak with a monstrous win in the Kelso at Belmont on September 29 and his ability to sit just off the pace should suit him well over this speed-favoring track with the potential to have horses knocking heads on the lead. In the aftermath of this week’s events with Sandy causing havoc on the Eastern seaboard, particularly in New Jersey, this is a bit of a swami pick as well.
Spread with No. 5 Fed Biz, No. 6 Shackleford and No. 7 Emcee.
Leg 4 – Race 7 (1,3,5,7,8,9,11,13,14) – Let’s try and close the early sequence with eight runner coming down the hill in the Turf Sprint using No.California Flag, No. 3 Great Mills, No. 5 Next Question, No. 7 Reneesgotzip, No. 8 Great Attack, No. 9 Bridgetown, No. 11 Mizdirection and No. 13 Unbridled’s Note and No. 14 Starspangledbanner.
Recap – (2,3,6,8,9,10) w (3,9) w (3,5,6,7) w (1,3,5,7,8,9,11,13,14) – Total cost of ticket = $216
Late Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 9 (1,11,12) – No. 1 Point of Entry has turned into a dominating force with five straight clear wins going long on the turf. We’ll add two more in the Turf with No. 11 Slim Shadey and No. 12 Trailblazer.
Leg 2 – Race 10 (1,2,4,7,8,11) – Though were not enthralled with defending Sprint champ No. 11 Amazombie, we’ll include him in our spread of No. 1 Sum of the Parts, No. 2 Jimmy Creed, No. 4 Coil, No. 7 The Lumber Guy and No. 8 Capital Account.
Leg 3 – Race 11 (2,3,6,9) – Use the four discussed above with No. 2 Wise Dan, No. 3 Obviously, No. 6 Excelebration and No. 9 Moonlight Cloud.
Leg 4 – Race 12 (2,5,10) – The belief is firm that this is a coronation for No. 5 Game On Dude in the Classic, but should he stub his toe we’ll add No. 2 Flat Out and No. 10 Ron the Greek.
Recap – (1,11,12) w (1,2,4,7,8,11) w (2,3,6,9) w (2,5,10) – Total cost of ticket = $108
Yesterday’s Result – (-$352)
Total for current Santa Anita meet – (+$318.60)
Total from 12/26/10 – 9/5/12 – (-$2,966.60)
Pick 5 –
Leg 1 – Race 1 (1,3,4) – The speed brigade is again on display early in the Juvenile Filly Sprint Preview and we’ll use multiple winners No. 1 Bares Tripper and No. 4 Unusual Way along with No. 3 Truly Marie making her first start on dirt.
Leg 2 – Race 2 (2,3,5,6,7,10,12) – The Juvenile Turf Sprint Preview is a seven-deep spread with No. 2 Upward Spiral, No. 3 Snow King, No. 5 Gabriel Charles, No. 6 One Firm Cat, No. 7 Moulin de Mougin, No. 10 Den’s Legacy and No. 12 Mico Margarita.
Leg 3 – Race 3 (3,4,5) – No. 3 Politicallycorrect drops in from tougher races and will be chasing both No. 4 Mile High Magic and No. 5 Private Zone on the front end.
Leg 4 – Race 4 (2,6,9) – Trim down to No. 2 Artigiano, No. 6 Dundonnell and No. 9 Noble Tune.
Leg 5 – Race 5 (3,9) – Same pair of No. 3 Dust and Diamonds and No. 9 Groupie Doll as in the early Pick-4.
Recap – (1,3,4) w (2,3,5,6,7,10,12) w (3,4,5) w (2,6,9) w (3,9) – Total cost of ticket = $189
Yesterday’s Result – (-$260)
Total for current Santa Anita meet – (-$218.40)
Total from 7/20/11 – 9/5/12 – (+$17,380.65)
Best Bet of the Day – Can now be found in the free analysis section at www.theracingedition.com along with an early Pick-4 ticket and a consensus box for the entire card.
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Good luck!
